Paris Olympics: Arshad Nadeem-led Pakistani contingent all set for opening ceremony

Pakistan's pride and joy, Javelin Thrower Arshad Nadeem, said he is looking forward to the Paris Olympics 2024 opening ceremony while on his way to the venue on Friday.

"Alhamdulillah, the preparations are going very well," Arshad told The Express Tribune. "The training has been going very well too. I am feeling very good about everything. Everything is going smoothly. Since I've come here, we have been training properly, so far we've done two-hour sessions."

Meanwhile, the other athletes, including sprinter Faiqa Riaz, swimmers Muhammad Ahmed Durrani and Jehanara Nabi, shooters Kishmala Talat, Ghulam Muhammad Bashir, and Gulfam Joseph, are all set for the ceremony as well.

The shooters will compete in the 25 metre Rapid Fire Pistol, 10 metre Air Pistol, 10 metre Air Pistol Mixed Team while Faiqa will participate in the 100 metre athletics event.

According to the Pakistan contingent's Chef de Mission Muhammad Shafiq, the athletes will be donning white shalwar kameez with green waistcoats and black shoes.

"We are all ready, we will be representing Pakistan in the best way we can," said Shafiq who was among the first ones to arrive in Paris, on July 18. He also attended the initial meetings to set up the contingent once everyone else began to arrive.

In Paris, there was an incident just hours before the Olympic Opening Ceremony. France's high-speed rail network was hit by arson attacks that disrupted travel for hundreds of thousands of passengers.

But Shafiq said that everyone is feeling safe. "There is a sense of safety and we are all doing well," he reassured and requested supporters to pray that the team's performances go well.

Similarly, the Pakistan Swimming Federation (PSF) official Lt Col (R) Ahmed Ali Khan, who is also accompanying the athletes as part of the contingent, said that the experience has been great in terms of the facilities.

"It has been an amazing experience in Paris so far, what great facilities we have here," said Khan. "Our heats are in the morning sessions. So we are undergoing training during the morning. We reached the venue of our competitions where we have two swimming pools of international standard. We go there after breakfast around 8 am," he shared.

The PSF official added, "Both swimmers are training and resting as well. They will give their best performance by improving on their personal best. We'll see how they perform on the day of the event. Both Durrani and Nabi have qualified on the universality quota and they are here because they are the best swimmers in the country."

The swimmers are participating in the 200-metre freestyle on July 28.

About Jehanara, who will also be a flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony, Khan said that she is a very hardworking athlete. The 18-year-old has been on the International Olympic Committee's scholarship for the last two years.

The scholarship came her way through the Pakistan Olympic Association by the PSF. She has been the leading female swimmer in the country for the last four years.

"She got herself trained at a designated training centre by the World Aquatics. She kept training with them regularly and improved her timing. She has been performing really well," said Khan.